(Israel Hayom) Zalman Shoval - President Trump has declared his intent to broker peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. No president was more involved in attempts to promote peace than Bill Clinton, until the conduct of Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas at Camp David convinced him, as he has admitted, that Israel does not have a partner for peace. Trump must understand that it is Palestinian recalcitrance that is writing the real script: Peace between Jews and Arabs in the Land of Israel is not a function of finding diplomatic formulas, but first and foremost breaking through the wall of Palestinian hostility. They are unwilling to accept the Jewish people's right to a state and are not willing to compromise on any of the main issues of the conflict. However, Israel should not throw cold water on Trump's chances of success, because then it will be blamed for any failure. Indeed, we must be partners in his optimism and allow the facts to speak for themselves. We can assume that time will work its magic, and sooner or later, Trump will conclude that instead of aiming at a full and final deal, it would be better to concentrate on trying to promote temporary, partial arrangements. The writer is a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S.
2017-05-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive